Advantages

Disadvantages

In my opinion:I do not eat Hershey's since they are becoming more and more synthetic. I do not agree with putting castor bean instead of cocoa bean in products that are called chocolate. Hershey's kisses should be called castor bean kisses. (Or how about castor bean poops or castor bean vomit). The only way that Americans can get out of fast food slavery is to write to the companies and complain--then don't buy that synthetic stuff again. Anything that was good about chocolate is gone. Just make up your mind to not eat anything with PGPR. Start a revolution--let's stop eating crap.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

terrible chocolates

When you think of the great chocolate making countries of the world then Belgium and Switzerland are two nations which may spring to mind. The USA is known for producing bad chocolate and having tried Hershey's utterly disgusting peanut butter cups then I was not in a hurry to sample anything else from the brand. My daughter felt differently and every time we were in Asda she would beg me to buy a bag of Hershey's kisses which is apparently a really well known US sweet. I said no and she eventually wasted £2 of her pocket money buying an 143g bag of almond kisses.

Inside the bag is around 20 individually wrapped sweeties. Each chocolate is around 2cm in diameter around the base and rises to a point, an attractive enough shape but not exactly how I would represent a kiss in chocolate form.

Upon using the little paper tab to open the sweet I was hit by a very odd smell. The chocolate smells exceptionally sweet with a hint of vomit like you get with parmesan thrown in for good measure. When biting into the chocolate you are hit with this incredible sweetness and then a very cloying creaminess which assaults my tastebuds in a really bad way. The chocolate melts nicely but has a bitter tang to it, not in a good way like dark chocolate but it's just a really murky flavour. The texture of the chocolate is slightly gritty and overall it reminds me of cheap cooking chocolate blocks and it leaves an awful aftertaste and my mouth feeling dry.

Inside each kiss is a whole almond, the almond is nice enough but would have been even nicer had it been toasted or caremalised.

Hershey's kisses are the only chocolate which my daughter has ever refused to eat, in fact she described them as tasting like poo. Considering her palate is not exactly sophisticated and she happily munches on any junk food then you know the chocolate has to be truly terrible to turn her nose up at it.

Hershey's kisses are one of the worst sweets I have ever tasted, instead of gritty cheap chocolate I would far rather have some creamy galaxy.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

A great little product, ideal for gifts.

These have to be the cutest named chocolates ever.

I first discovered Hersheys when I was a kid and we used to go on holiday to America, we would always come back with loads of Hersheys chocolate including kisses and clothes from Gap! I think Hersheys originated in the Pennsylvania, but it is the most famous chocolate in the States I would say.

These are not widely available in the UK but there are a couple of places that sell them. Selfridges in the Bull Ring do have a lot of Hersheys products, and also Harvey Nicholls in the Mail Box definitely sell them. There is also a website called American Soda, which sells a lot of American products and ships them to the UK and charges delivery depending on weight, I have used this site a couple of times for gifts for people and it's really great. (My brother has an obsession with the twizzlers liquorice so I always get that from there).

A hersheys kiss is basically a lump of hersheys chocolate in a little foil wrapper with a paper tab that unwraps it. The chocolate is really delicious and creamy. It tastes completely different to cadburys or nestle. You can get bags of about 150g and they do range in price depending on where you buy them from, but I would say a general rule is about £5.00 a bag.

There are loads of different varieties of the Hersheys Kiss, you can get milk chocolate, dark chocolate, caramel, and I think there is even one with cookie bits in it, they are all really tasty. I think they also do a hersheys hug too, but I'm not sure what it is.

I love these little chocolates and as they are not the easiest to get hold of they are a great gift for people, for something a bit different. Really worth a try, they are quite addictive.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

Great little treats

Hersheys is an American chocolate and confectionary company, coming from the town of Hershey, Pensylvannia. They make a large range of awesome chocolate and Kisses is one of their most famous chocolates.

Hershey Kisses are cute little teardrop shaped chocolates indivdually wrapped in foil. They come in a few different varities, the main one being Milk Chocolate. They also come in Dark chocolate, and with bits of oreo cookies in them. There may be a few others too, but I am not too sure what these are.

The chocolate is lovely and creamy, and it just melts on your tongue in such a good way, you can't stop eating them. They are dangerously good, and I can't help but to keep unwrapping them and popping another one into my mouth. I dare you to try and just eat one.

These are not the easiest of things to find. I get them sent to me from friends in America, and you can buy them online at www.americansweets.co.uk and have them delievered to your house, but this is not the cheapest way to find them. If you find them anywhere for sale in the UK please message me and let me know.

These chocolates usually come in a large bag, which is brown with a see through section showing you the kisses inside. The back has all the nutrional information and some information on Hersheys and the Kisses inside the bag. The fat and calorie content is about the usual for chocolate, so avoid having these too often, as we all know that chocolate is not the healthiest of snacks.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

Hershey's Kisses

Little teardrops of chocolate heaven.

Hersheys is one of the oldest chocolate companies in America having been founded by Milton S. Hershey in 1894. The chocolate is extremely popular in the US and is definitely more widely available than Cadburys or Nestle chocolate in my opinion. They produce a variety of different chocolate bars and treats.

I am not really a big fan of Hersheys. Having lived in both the US and England I have obviously tried American and English chocolate and to me Hersheys is not a patch on Cadburys. I really don't like the taste of it unfortunately, I find it quite bland, not very creamy and that it has a bit of a chalky aftertaste. Apparently I have heard that English chocolate uses real cocoa but American chocolate just uses cocoa flavouring so this could be the reason for the difference, English chocolate being more authentic and real.

Anyway, one of the Hersheys products I actually do like are their Hersheys kisses. These are basically small little one bite individually wrapped chocolates that to me look like a tear drop with a flat bottom. They were introduced in 1907 and after the product was trademarked three years later they went on to become one of the most successful and well-known products ever produced by the company. According to an article I read, the Kisses are one of the most popular candies in the US. In 1989, the chocolate drops were the 5th most popular chocolate in the United States, spawning sales that topped $400 million.

Like I said they are individually wrapped and have a little paper ribbon attached to the top of them which you can pull to open the wrapper. Hersheys is written on the wrapper. This was done when they were introduced to indicate that it is a genuine Hersheys product.

I think the reason why I like these is because they always bring back good American holiday memories. Kisses come in a variety of different flavours with different coloured wrapping so you can really use them to create a nice display depending on the time of year. For example, originally the chocolates were just wrapped in silver wrapping but beginning in 1962 they came out with green, red and silver wrapping to accommodate for Christmas, they have pink and red wrappers for Valentines Day and 4th of July has silver with red stripes and blue-starred wrappers to name but a few of the varieties. I really like the fact they do this and think it's a great way to promote their chocolates, especially during these very commercial times.

The chocolates are quite solid when you bite into them and you can eat a whole one in just one bite if you wish. They still have the Hersheys flavour that I don't really like that I mentioned above but when they have a specific flavour to them it does make them better. For example, certain flavours include Candy Cane (Peppermint- perfect for Christmas), dark chocolate, peanut butter filled, a whole almond in the middle, truffle and crunchy cookie.

At the moment I believe you can only buy them in the United States as I have never seen them in stores here but you may be able to buy them in specialty stores.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

Wonderful delight !!!

I have hardly heard anyone say that he doesn't like chocolates. Amongst the most popular ones like Cadbury's or Lindt (Swiss Chcolates) one can't help mentioning the chocolate giant from Pennsylvania, US that is Hershey's . Hershey's are pioneers in everything chocolate. They manufacture the delicious Syrup and the wonderful exclusive chocolate kisses. These chocolate kisses are rightfully named because of their size and the shiny foil wrapping. These choclates are individually wrapped in either golden or silver foil with a tiny paper strip sticking out that says hershey's on it. These are shaped like tear drops and are uite the bite size. The golden foil wrapped ones are almond flavoured while the silver ones are regular. There are a few other flavours available like perhaps cherry and orange but I have only tried the almond and the4 regular ones and I can easily say that these are perfect hunger buster for those times when you can figure out just what to grab.

Even for kids these chocolates could prpove to be a healthy alternative to others because these atleast have real almonds in them. I would highly recommend these beautiful divinities to all you chocolate lovers. Go for them. These won't upset your calorie consipousness because of their perfect sizes.

Comments

Advantages

Disadvantages

Who wants a Kiss?

Imagine a world where they sell individually wrapped chocolate buttons. You want a taste of chocolate, but you're trying to stick to a diet, it's nearly dinner time, or for whatever reason you don't want a full chocolate bar. Wouldn't that be a great solution? Well, in Mexico I have something that comes close to this. I can buy individual Hershey's Kisses from convenience stores here, and often take advantage of this to sneak in some chocolate during my day, without feeling guilty.

Hershey's introduced the original Kisses in 1907, and rumour has it that the name comes from the sound the machine made as it plopped them out onto the conveyor belt. Since then, a huge number of varieties have been developed, either for permanent sale or limited time promotions. More than 80 million Kisses are made in the two Hershey factories every single day. That's a whole lot of chocolate. And, according to a survey, more than half of Americans would choose an unlimited supply of Kisses over their favourite book if stranded indefinitely on a desert island. If you go to Hershey World in Pennsylvania (what...you're surprised I've been?) there is an activity where you can package up Kisses and imagine what it would be like to work in the factory there. In the town of Hershey, the street lights are shaped like kisses. In the visitor's centre, there's also a 3D film where they rain down from the ceiling at the end. *Sigh* That was a good weekend...

Hershey's Kisses come individually wrapped, even if you buy them in multipacks. This doesn't make me feel good when I have my environmentalist hat on, but I appreciate it when I want to buy them individually. They are wrapped in foil of different colours for different flavours - the originals in silver, almond ones in a bronze colour, purple for dark chocolate and so on. Unlike many small, individually wrapped goodies, however (case in point, the yummy but fiddly Lindt Lindor Mini Eggs) these are extremely easy to get into thanks to the paper strip 'plume' at the top of the Kiss - you pull on this and the foil comes away easily. Kind of like a 'tap and unwrap' Chocolate Orange, except this actually works 100% of the time.

Kisses have a unique shape which doesn't vary with the variety. They are shaped like teardrops, but have a flat bottom, so they can be stood up, arranged in patterns and so on. The typical size ones are just a few cm tall, but other sizes are available. The chocolate is generally smooth without any marks or indents, and has a matt, not glossy finish. There are numerous products in the Kisses range, but here are some of my favourites:

THE ORIGINALS - as in the small sized, milk chocolate kisses. These are what I buy most often, and though the flavour is bitter compared to European chocolate, you have to understand that the other choices here are Lindt (imported from Switzerland, v. expensive) or Cadburys (made in Canada, doesn't taste like it should). While American chocolate is an acquired taste, I do seem to have acquired it, and will now quite happily eat my way through a bag of these, when I'm not buying them one at a time of course. I like the shape of the chocolates, as the top part is much thinner and therefore melts easily, but the base is thicker and therefore can be bitten into. These are good at room temperature or from the fridge (they're not so thick they'll break your teeth) but if they sit in the sun too long they make a mess of the foil wrapper as they begin to melt. NB: the paper plumes do not taste good, so do try not to eat them accidentally. These come in small bags (36g, so about one helping) or larger ones for sharing (or not). Interestingly, the official website says a serving of Kisses is about 9 chocolates, or 41g, so the Mexican bags are on the small size.

These ones also come in larger gift sizes in Mexico, from the medium to the massive, with notes on like "Thanks!" or "Congratulations" or "I'm so sorry". My sister left me one after visiting, and it was amazing - a massive, solid lump of chocolate, which somehow seemed massively superior to a regular bar despite being the same weight. It's like the Easter bunny effect - shaped chocolate just tastes SO much better.

EXTRA CREAMY - if normal Hershey's milk chocolate is too bitter for you, I would recommend the Extra Creamy variety, available in bars and, now, Kisses too. This tastes much more like the milk chocolate you would find in the UK, and is, as the name would suggest, very creamy and in no way bitter. These kisses come in cardboard tubes, so you have to buy a few more to enjoy them, but they are well worth it.

ALMOND - while not my favourite flavour, I often find myself with Almond Kisses since some shops here sell 2 packs combining one of these with a milk chocolate Kiss. Individual Kisses cost 1.50 pesos and 2 packs cost 2.50 pesos, so with a staggering 50 cents to be saved, I do sometimes indulge. What I do like about these, however, is that they include a whole almond inside, not nasty tiny almond crumbs, so if I want I can (albeit messily) eat the chocolate off and chuck the almond part.

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE - these can be bought in packages of 5 medium sized Kisses in the US and they don't come individually wrapped, sitting instead in a cardboard tube with a plastic wrapper. They also come in the smaller size, individually wrapped, in gift boxes in Mexico, and are divine. They combine a milk chocolate coating with a rich truffle centre and are a more grown up treat rather than every day chocolate. They're not quite on a par with Guylian seashells, but they're a close second for this part of the world.

CANDY CANE - I found these in Costa Rica and haven't seen them elsewhere, but they were so much fun. They combined a white chocolate candy with tiny peppermint granules in a pretty white and pink design, to represent the Candy Canes popular in the USA at Christmas time. They came in a massive bag, but lasted a fair amount of time as they were super sweet.

KISSABLES - these are a newish product in the range, and supposed to be competition for M&Ms I imagine. Kissables are Hershey's Kisses covered in a crisp candy shell, and come in packets or little plastic tubes (like the things people put round their neck with money in while on the beach abroad). They taste nice (if you like M&Ms and, yet again, can tolerate the more bitter variety of milk chocolate) and have the added bonus that they won't melt on you. Plus, the 'crunch' means you feel you're eating something rather than just inhaling the way you might with pure chocolate.

HUGS - the perfect accompaniment for a Kiss (just ask Gossip Girl) these are so called because they combine milk chocolate and white chocolate, with the two 'hugging' each other to make a swirling pattern. I really like these, and fine the sweetness of the white chocolate perfectly complements the bitterness of the milk chocolate.

MINI KISSES - just like regular milk chocolate Kisses in flavour, these are a mini version of the treat and come unwrapped in a 50g bag. They are great for baking with as the smaller size helps them to melt quickly, and are especially good in Betty Crocker brownies.

SNACKSTERS - when I'm on the go and want chocolate without the calories, I turn to these 100 Calorie snack-packs. My favourite variety - the Kisses one - includes mini Kisses, Kissables, cookies and chocolate cereal pieces. Think a chocolaty trail mix, with all the pieces combining to produce a very nice overall crunchy and sweet flavour. For 100 measly calories, what's not to like?

Other flavours I've tried include:

- Caramel (too sweet for me)- Peanut Butter (not bad, especially if you're a Reece's fan)- Dark Chocolate (good for the heart...but in flavour not radically different from the milk chocolate ones)- Mint (yum, and far less sickly sweet than the also minty Candy Cane)

So, after all that, the verdict? My all time favourite thing about Kisses is that they really push the boat out in terms of flavours. Ever notices how most bars eventually end up with dark chocolate, mint and orange flavours? Just look at the list above to see how far beyond those Kisses go. I love that there is always a new variety to try (and, to be fair, most European pallets will find this sort of chocolate nicer when it's combined with a filling of some sort). I love the shape of them, the way they're always perfectly formed and wrapped, and the sheer novelty factor of asking someone if they want a Kiss (not that it happens often, mind. I'm not that kind of girl - y'know, the kind who shares her chocolate). Most of all, I love that I can get a decent chocolate kick for a mere 25 calories / 7p (the Milk variety). With prices ranging from said 7p to over £10 for gift sets, there truly is a variety, and a flavour, to suit all tastes.

In the UK, the more standard varieties can be found in many specialist food shops (think Selfridges food hall and similar) while eBay currently has a massive range of the more obscure flavours, and Cybercandy.co.uk is always a good bet for imported products. As for me, I'm coming home in July, stopping in Canada on the way, and am already drooling, thinking about what their supermarkets and the airport might have in store for me, Kisses wise.